Combination 3 card poker-baccarat gaming method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A casino gambling card table game in which a player may bet that a next card dealt would provide a selected poker hand and/or a winning baccarat hand.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a Division of Ser. No. 10/880,476 filed Jul. 1,2004.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not beenfederally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

NOT APPLICABLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to casino gaming apparatus, in general, and to acasino gambling card table game, in particular.

2. Description of the Related Art

As is well known in the casino gaming industry, one of the most popularcard table gambling games is 3 card poker in which a player attempts toobtain a higher valued poker hand than the dealer. As will also beappreciated, one of the most raucous of the card table gambling games isbaccarat, where it is common for a player to vocally exhort the dealingof a winning card to his/her hand, and a vociferous rooting of a losingcard to the Bank so as to attain the objective of having a card totalcloser to “nine” than the Bank. As will become clear from the followingdescription, the present invention combines features of both 3 cardpoker and baccarat in making the combined game demonstrative in itsplay, while at the same time providing a multitude of betting options;as will be seen, this gives the combined game a flavor closer to that ofcraps, where others than the shooter are able to place individual betson each roll of the dice. As in both 3 card poker and baccarat, thecombined card game of the invention utilizes a standard 52 card deck(without jokers)—and as in baccarat, aces count as “one” and tens,jacks, queens, and kings count as “zero”.

As distinct from the commonly played 3 card poker, however, cards may bedrawn and/or options selected based on the cards to be dealt rather thanjust to bet on cards already received. In such manner, a player becomesactively involved in each deal, and involves a certain degree of thoughtthroughout. Having to make decisions concerning a series of bets in anyone game makes the play more varied than baccarat, and thus moreenjoyable to the participant and more attractive to the casino as well.All that will be seen to be required in its play are the calculations ofthe odds to be offered by the casino for any bet to be paid (which canbe determined by mathematical analysis). Once such odds are set, allthat is needed is the standard deck, a table, a game design overlay tosit 6 or 7 players, and the participants with their betting chipsthemselves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will become clear from the following description, each participantwishing to play against the dealer places an initial “ante” bet on aspace on the game design overlay. Once all parties have anted up, thedealer begins to distribute a shuffled deck of cards clockwise orcounterclockwise to each individual, one card at a time, face down,until a total of two revolutions have taken place—with the dealer alsoreceiving one card, face down, during each revolution. As with 3 cardpoker, one additional card will be dealt to each player, but with theplayer, according to the invention, being able to decline to bet on thatthird card if so desired. Because a third card could give each playerthe possibility of having “three of a kind”, “a straight” ofconsecutively numbered cards, “a flush” of three cards of the same suit,or “a straight flush” of three consecutive cards of the same suit, eachplayer will have the ability to place an additional wager beyond theinitial ante bet before being dealt the third card. Such a decision tomake a further bet is made by placing added chips on individual spacesalso provided on the game design overlay, where the odds offered by thecasino are displayed as well. Those players whose first two cards do notoffer the possibility of obtaining such poker hands may have theopportunity of placing an additional bet that the third card dealt mayoffer them a hand whose point total is “low” (i.e., adding the value ofeach card and utilizing only the “ones” digit totals 0 to 4), or bettinga “high” (i.e., adding the values gives a “ones” digit of between 5 and9). Other type bets could be had as well, for example, that the thirdcard dealt would provide a single pair along with a ten, jack, queen orking,—and, as previously mentioned, the player may elect not to bet onthe third card at all. Each bet made would continue to have its ownspace displayed on the design layout, along with the odds offered by thecasino if that bet were made.

Once all further bets are placed, a third card is dealt. This may bedone by dealing a third card to each player in turn face down, who thenreveal their three cards—or having them first reveal their two cards anddealing the third card face up. This allows the dealer to determinewhether or not any of the additional bets wagered have been won or not.Preferably at that time, or later after all of the hands are completelyplayed out, any appropriate monies won on those added bets will be paidby the dealer to the player based on the displayed casino odds, and anyadditionally wagered bets lost will be collected by the dealer. In suchrespect, the combination game of the invention exhibits attributes ofpoker.

The dealer then reveals his/her two cards, enabling the players to viewwhat the dealer is holding. The dealer then draws a third card faceup—and like the other players, adds up the values to determine whichhands came closer to “nine”. For each player hand closer to “nine”, theplayer wins the initial ante bet; for each player hand further from“nine” than the dealer's, the dealer wins the ante bet. In this respect,the combined game resembles that of baccarat—and offers the furtheradvantage that a player who elects not to bet further on the third dealtcard can continue in the game, rooting against the dealer's draw inattempting to win the initial ante bet placed. As previously mentioned,in this phase of the game, aces count as “one”, tens, jacks, queens andkings count as “zero”—and the “ones” digit of the total value, is usedin determining which hands are closest to “nine”.

In other versions of the game, options of play could be provided in theevent the two cards first drawn by the dealer total eight or nine whenadded, allowing the dealer to stand pat. Likewise, options could beprovided to the player to stand pat when his/her first two cards totaleight or nine, as well. A further option could be provided the player ofselecting the third card to beat the dealer's hand, as in conventionalpoker.

As will be readily apparent, if the baccarat aspect of the game issought to be combined, instead, with a 4 card rather than a 3 card pokerplaying arrangement, additional table layout spaces could be provided tocover such additional bets as “two pair”, “four of a kind”, and three ofa kind along with a ten, jack, queen or king. Again, the odds for payingoff such bets will be displayed on the design overlay.

Other gambling bets—such as tieing the dealer on the ante bet—could beafforded and set out on the overlay as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention will be more clearlyunderstood from a consideration of the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a table layout design helpful in anunderstanding of the set up of the game;

FIGS. 2-5 are combined pictorial views and flow charts indicating how inthe combined 3 card poker-baccarat card playing game one shuffled handmay be played according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a further combined view of a playing layout and flow charthelpful in an understanding of the invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a type of gaming table layout for seven participatingplayers,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1, A1 illustrates a dealer position for three playing cardplacements 10, 11, 12 for the 3 card poker aspect of the game. A2illustrates a player position with three playing card placements 20, 21,22 and an initial ante bet wager placement 13 for joining in the game.Seven betting placements 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73 and 83 are illustrated.In the 3 card poker-baccarat combined game, “flush”, “straight”,“straight flush” and “3 of a kind” possibilities are apparent, asrepresented at placements 23, 33, 43 and 53, respectively. Threeadditional betting placements are shown for “pair plus 0” 63 (i.e., fora pair plus a ten, jack, queen or king), for high/low 73 (i.e., the“ones” digit after totalling the three cards dealt being five, six,seven, eight or nine for a “high”, and zero, one, two, three or four for“low”), and for a “tie” with the dealer on the ante bet 83.

As illustrated, the first two cards dealt to the player A2 are assumedto be an eight of diamonds and a nine of diamonds, giving the player anoption of betting that the third card dealt would give him/her any orall of a “flush” (three diamonds), a “straight” (being dealt a seven ora ten), or a “straight flush” (being dealt a six of diamonds or a ten ofdiamonds). Using the “ones” digit after adding the eight and nine togive a “seven”, the player may also bet that the next card dealt wouldgive him/her a total of 5 to 9 for a “high”, or a 0 to 4 for a “low”.Upon dealing the third card, the dealer can determine whether any or allof these “flush”, “straight”, “straight flush” or “high/low” bets weremade, paying off on those that were made at the predetermined casinoodds displayed for each such bet. Those bets that weren't made arecollected by the dealer.

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate a possible game being played by three participants,each of whom has placed their initial ante bet at table layout location13 (B1). Each player is then dealt one card face down, in turn, eitherclockwise, or counterclockwise, the face down card being shown at 90 (B2in FIG. 2). The dealer then draws its first card face down 91 (B3 inFIG. 3). Each player is then dealt a second card face down 92 (B4 inFIG. 3). The dealer then draws its second card face down 93 (B5 in FIG.3).

As FIG. 4 next illustrates, each player after viewing their two cardshas the option to choose further bets depending upon their holdings—forexample, the seven wagers of FIG. 1 as 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73 and/or 83(B6). If they so desire, each player then places the appropriate chipwager or wagers into the respective display space corresponding to themake-up of their hand (B7). In the example of FIG. 4, the cards 90 and92 for Player 1 are shown for understanding as a nine of diamonds and aten of diamonds; those cards 90 and 92 for Player 2 are shown as a jackof diamonds and a jack of hearts; those for Player 3 are shown as a sixof hearts and a six of clubs. Player 1, having a nine of diamonds andten of diamonds, opts to wager the third card will give a straight and astraight flush (100), and places appropriate bets of whatever chipamount at layout locations 33 and 43. Player 2, having a jack ofdiamonds and jack of hearts, opts to wager that the third card wouldresult in a pair plus a ten, jack, queen or king and places a bet inlayout location 63. Additionally wagering that the third card would alsobe a jack, Player 2 places an additional bet in location 53 for three ofa kind. Player 2 might place a further bet that he and the dealer wouldtie on the ante bet—all as shown at 101. Player 3 similarly may wager athird card being a six of spades or six of diamonds to get three of akind, or that it would be a ten, jack, queen or king to yield a pairplus “0” (102)—and places additional bets of whatever chip amountdesired in accordance with casino rules on the layout locations of 53and 63.

In FIG. 5, after all bets have been placed, each player and the dealerreveals the first two cards and the players are dealt a third card, faceup (B8). At that point, each of Players 1, 2 and 3 and the dealer willknow whether the respective wagers have been won or not. With Player 1receiving a third card 94 of a jack of diamonds, Player 1 wins the“straight” and “straight flush” wagers and is paid then or at thecompletion of the hand the bet multiplied by the house odds displayed onthe layout. Player 2 draws a queen of spades as its third card 94 andthus loses its “three of a kind” bet but wins its “pair plus 0” bet (allface cards have a value of “zero”). Player 3 is dealt a two of diamondsas its third card 94, and thus loses its “three of a kind” bet and its“pair plus 0” bet as well.

This essentially ends the three card poker aspect of the combined gameof the invention, with the understanding that a player does not have tomake any of these additional wagers as to “flush”, “straight”, “straightflush”, “three of a kind”, or “pair plus 0” bets, depending on the firsttwo cards received (as where a three of hearts and a queen of clubs aredealt). Such player, however, may continue in betting the third cardwill yield a “high” or a “low”—but, in any event, continues to be in thegame with respect to the initial ante bet placed. Each player is able tovocally “urge on” the third card to be dealt for their respective bets,giving the game the attribute of “craps” in this respect.

The baccarat aspect of the combined game then comes into play. Thus, asB9 of FIG. 5 illustrates, the dealer then draws its third card 95—withthe players rooting against him/her—giving the dealer a two of diamondsto go along with its previously drawn seven of clubs 91 and king ofhearts 93. Totalling the dealer's three cards and using only the “ones”digit gives to the dealer a “nine”, a baccarat winning hand. This tiesthe value of Player 1's hand and Player 1's ante bet at 13 is a draw.Player 2's three card total is a “zero”, so that Player 2 loses its antebet. Player 3's hand totals “four” (six+six+two=fourteen=four), so thatPlayer 3 loses its ante bet as well. Had Player 1 placed a bet in layoutspace 83 that there would have been a tie with the dealer, then Player 1would have won its ante bet. In accordance with the invention, anadditional wager possibility could be had, that the player's hand afterbeing dealt all three cards would be of a greater poker value than thatof the dealer—and a space provided for that on the layout overlay. Inthe illustration of FIG. 4, any of Players 1, 2 or 3 would have won suchwager, as the dealer only showed “king high”.

In a summarization of the invention as shown in FIG. 6—referring to thegame fancifully by the name “TO THE 9's” (the winning total forbaccarat)—the player places an ante bet whose outcome is based on havingthe sum of three cards totalling closer to nine, and beating the dealer.The dealer deals two cards A and B face down to the player along withtwo cards C and D face down to himself. With the dealer cards remainingface down, the player looks at his/her cards determining whether or nothe/she wishes to place an additional wager. If the player wishes toplace an additional wager, that wager is marked on the table with chipshoping for the result that will come when the third card is dealt. Withthe player's cards being an eight of diamonds and a nine of diamonds,for example, the player can select four additional bets—a “flush” hopingto draw another diamond, a “straight” hoping to draw a six or a ten, a“straight flush” hoping that the third card is either a six of diamondsor a ten of diamonds, and a “low” hoping that the third card adds to the“seven” of the first two cards to provide a total value of 0 to 4. Withthe player's third card being a four of diamonds, the outcome of thefurther wagers is determined and the dealer may pay off preferably thenthe player's bets according to the table odds—paying off for the“flush”, collecting for the “straight”, collecting for the “straightflush”, and paying off for the “low” (as the three cards add up to a“one”; eight+nine+four=twenty one=one). The dealer then reveals its twocards, a three of hearts and a four of diamonds, draws its third card ajack of hearts to total “seven” (three+four+zero=seven). The dealer thuswins the ante bet 13 as its hand of “seven” comes closer to “nine” thanthe player's “one”. If an additional bet for the better poker hand wereavailable and made, the player would have won that also.

FIG. 7 shows a possible layout for up to seven participants playing thecombined game of the invention at any one time. Reference numeral 13represents the space for the initial ante bet for each player. Referencenumerals 90, 92 and 94 represent the card placement positions for theplayers while 91, 93 and 95 represent the card placement positions forthe dealer. Reference numerals 96 and 97 are the spaces for betting“high” and “low” values for the three card totals respectively, as 5 to9 and 0 to 4. Reference numerals 201, 202 and 203 represent bettingspaces for the “flush”, “straight” and “straight flush” wagers.Reference notations 204, 205 and 206 represent the betting locations forthe “pair plus 0”, “three of a kind” and “tie wager” bets. If a furtherbet for the player having a poker hand greater than the dealer's is tobe provided, that might be shown as 207—and other betting locationscould be provided if the casino sets up other wagers to be made (or ifthe layout is also to be used for a combined game of baccarat with a 4card poker layout). In any event, the casino odds for successfullywinning any of the bets will be displayed on the layout, as with aconventional craps table design.

As previously mentioned, a player not being dealt a promising poker handwith the first two cards can elect to proceed with no further additionalwagering. The player will, however, continue to root for his/her thirdcard dealt giving a baccarat hand close to “nine”, and to vocally betagainst the dealer's third card in hoping to win the ante bet.Obviously, those players making further wagers still cheer on theirthird cards to win their additional bets, and against the dealer's thirdcard in getting closer to “nine”, to win the ante bet as well. In theserespects, a livelier, more enjoyable game is had, with added bettingoptions for all players.

While there have been described what are considered to be preferredembodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciatedthat modifications can be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the teachings herein. For example, each ofthe cards dealt or drawn, the determining of the poker bets won or lost,and the totalling of the digit values for baccarat could all be carriedout electronically and displayed on a video screen, and the excitementof the combined game still be had. For at least such reason, therefore,resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a trueunderstanding of the scope of the invention.

1-13. (canceled)
 14. Apparatus for playing a casino gambling table cardgame comprising: a deck of playing cards; a gambling design layout for atable for two or more players; a first space on said layout for eachplayer placing a predetermined initial ante bet; a plurality of spacesfor each player's placing of individual playing cards dealt by a dealer;a plurality of spaces for a like number of playing cards drawn by thedealer for itself; a third plurality of spaces for each player forplacement of bets made by each player as to the value of a poker hand tobe reached upon receipt of a next playing card from the dealer to eachplayer.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said plurality of spacesfor the placement of bets include spaces for at least one of a pokerhand of three of a kind, a straight, a flush, and a straight flush. 16.The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said plurality of spaces for theplacement of bets include spaces for at least one of a poker hand of twopair, three of a kind, four of a kind, a straight, a flush, and astraight flush.
 17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said plurality ofspaces for the placement of bets include spaces for a poker hand of onepair plus either 10, jack, queen or king.
 18. The apparatus of claim 14wherein said plurality of spaces includes spaces for the betting ofone's digit summarization totalling 0-4 from a dealing of a first threecards to a player by the dealer.
 19. The apparatus of claim 14 whereinsaid plurality of spaces includes spaces for the betting of one's digitsummerization totalling 5-9 from a dealing of a first three cards to aplayer by the dealer.